Advertising apparatus



Dec. 20, 1938 P. LINDEN ADVERTISING APPARATUS Filed Apr il 21, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 L2 is PZy /mm/vrm ATTORNEY Dec. 20, 1938. P, UNDEN 2,140,678

ADVERTISING APPARATUS Filed April 21, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q5 N ATTMM l Dec. 20, 1938. L. P. LINDEN 2,140,678

ADVERTIS ING APPARATUS Filed April 21, 1958 4 sheets-sheet s Dec. 20, 1938. P LINDEN ADVERTISING APPARATUS Filed April 21, 1958 Fig. 4.

4 Sheets-Sheet 4 VENTO? #11 602 Patented Dec. 20, 1938 ADVERTISING APPARATUS I Louis Percy Linden, Snow Hill, London, England Application April 21, 1938, Serial No. 203,421

In Great Britain January 12, 1938 6 Claims.

This invention relates to advertising apparatus and has for its object to provide apparatus by which letters, signs or the like are exposed successively in one or more rows so as to constitute an advertisement, slogan, or sentence, the letters or the like being then caused to disappear simultaneously, when the sequence of operations is repeated.

The invention has further for its object to provide means whereby such letters, signs or the like are caused to move into view successively by the operation of a travelling endles chain which carries a finger piece adapted in the course of travel of the chain to operate lever mechanism whereby the letters are successively raised and retained in the exposed position for a predetermined period of time, whereupon all the letters are caused to disappear simultaneously by the operation of a lever releasing the retain- 20 ing means, which lever is actuated by the aforesaid finger-piece.

In a specific embodiment of the invention the letters are arranged in one or more rows, the letters in separate rows being successively exposed so as to build up the sentence or advertising slogan, in which case, assuming two such rows, one finger-piece actuates the rear row of letters which first moves into view and a second finger-piece, suitably positioned on the endless chain with respect to the other finger, actuates the front row of letters but the retaining means holding the letters in the exposed position are simultaneously released by the releasing lever actuated by the last mentioned finger-piece and both rows of letters disappear simultaneously.

Further objects and advantages will appear from the following description of the embodiment of the invention hereinafter described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings to which reference will now be made and in which similar reference charactersrelate to like parts in all the figures thereof Figure 1 is a perspective View of the apparatus enclosed in a suitable casing.

Figure 2 is a sectional elevation on the line A-B Figure 3,

Figure 3 is a sectional plan on the line CD Figure 2 and Figure 4 a cross sectional elevation on the line E -F Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view of the endless operating chain carrying a finger-piece.

Figure 6 shows the method of mounting the letters.

Figure 7 is a detail view of the means for raising the letters and Figure 8 the means for retaining the same in the exposed position.

Figures 9 and 10 are detail views in front and side elevation of the means for releasing the retaining mechanism to effect the simultaneous disappearance of all the letters.

Referring to the drawings it will be seen from Figure 1 thereof that the whole apparatus is embodied in a casing ll, provided with a removable. cover l2 to permit exchange of the letters, said cover I2 being formed with front and rear 1ongitudinal slots l3, l4 through which the letters, in the example shown arranged in two rows, a front row and a rear row 16, are exposed to view against the backgrounds provided by the slope I! on the front of the cover [2 and the rail l8 on the top of the cover l2.

An endless operating chain l9 extends practically the full length of the casing ll, running over the sprockets 20, 2| mounted in the lower part of the interior of the casing, and is driven by a universal motor 22, with a resistance 23 inserted in the motor circuit, that is controlled by switch 24. Worm 25 on the motor shaft engages a worm wheel 25 on intermediate shaft 26 that carries a sprocket wheel 21 which through chain 28 drives a sprocket wheel 29 mounted on the shaft 30 of the driving sprocket 20 of the operating chain [9.

The operating chain l9 carries two fingerpieces 3|, 32 of triangular shape, which successively operate, during the travel of the chain IS, the levers 33, 34 raising the letters to view, finger 3! operating the controlling levers 33 of the front row of letters [5 and finger 32 operating the controlling levers 34 of the rear row 16, the fingers 3|, 32 being positioned at a suitable distance apart on the chain and on opposite sides of same so that the front row of letters l5 are caused to successively appear after the rear row but at a lower level.

Each of the letters of the rows of letters l5, l6, normally concealed from view by the cover I2, is inserted in a clip 35, a letter R of the rear row being shown for example in Figure 6.

Extending the full length of the interior of the casing are two letter guide frames, conveniently formed-of angle-iron, the frame 36 for the rear row l6 being of greater depth than the frame 31 for the front row IS.

The clips for the letters of the rear row l6 are mounted on the upper ends of thevertical rods 38 that pass down through clearance holes 38 in the horizontal member 39 of the frame 36 and the intermediate bar 411 to be connected by their looped lower ends to rods 40 secured to the controlling levers 34 pivotally mounted on the spindle 4! carried by the brackets 42 secured to the underside of the operating chain frame 43 (Figure 7) Similarly the clips 35 for the letters of the front row are mounted on the upper ends of the vertical rods 44 that pass down through clearance holes in the horizontal member 45 of the frame 3'! and the intermediate bar 46 and are connected by their looped lower ends to rods 41 secured to the controlling levers 33 pivotally mounted on the spindle 48 carried by the brackets 49 secured to the top of the operating chain frame 43 fixed to the transverse angle irons 75 by the bolts 16.

The letters of the rear row l6 are retained in the upper exposed position by means of the blade spring detents 56, carried by the rail 5|, which normally bear against the rods 38 and snap into notches 52 therein when the rods 38 are raised as hereafter described to expose the letters. A second lower rail 53 carries a series of similar blade spring detents 54 which when engaged in the notches-55 retain the rods 44 in the raised position to expose the letters of the front row l5.

Mechanism for tripping the detents 50, 54 to permit the simultaneous descent of all the exposed letters is disposed within the casing II in the end thereof opposite to that in which the riving motor 22 is installed and is shown in detail in Figures 9 and 10.

At one end of the casing the rails 51, 53 are provided with pivot pins 5P 53 at their ends whereby they are pivotally mounted in the bar 56 secured to the intermediate horizontal bars 40 and 46 by the angles 57. At the opposite end of the casing the rails 5!, 53 are similarly mounted in the bar 58 secured to the bars 40 and 46 by the angles 59, but the pivot pins 60 at this end are extended and secured to the bars 6! and 62 respectively of a rockable toggle frame the third member of which is constituted by a connecting bar 53 pivoted to the bars 6| and 62.

The lower bar 62 beyond the point of attachment of the pin 66 is extended by an arm 64 to which is attached one end of a rod 65 the other end of which engages a bar 66 with a boss 61 mounted on the inner end of the release rod 68. The boss 61 contacts with the boss 68 of a guide bracket 69 fixed to the vertical angle bar of the frame 36. The free end of the release rod 68 passes through a guide 19 fixed on the operating cha n frame 43. A spring 1|, one end of which is attached to a bracket 12 secured to the underside of the horizontal angle bar 39 and the other end to the arm 64 maintains the frame 6|, 62, 63 in the position shown in Figure 4 with the detents 59 and 54 bearing against the rods 38 and 44.

In order to absorb the shock of the simultaneous descent of all the letter controlling levers 33, 34 buifer rods '13 encased in felt 74 are mounted in the lower part of the casing and are secured to the vertical angle bars of the frames 36, 31.

In the operation of the apparatus the letters constituting the advertisement to be exhibited are inserted in the clips 35 of the letter carrying rods 38 and 44 and the motor 22 is started by operating switch 24. The operating chain l9, through the worm reduction gear, worm 25 and worm wheel 25 and chain drive 28 is thereby set in motion travelling in the direction shown by the arrows in Figure 3, the position of the letter operating mechanism, with the letters concealed from view, and of the releasing mechanism being as shown in Figures 2, 3, and 4.

By the travel of the chain l9 however the finger 32 successively depresses the free ends of the controlling levers 34, (Figure 7) of the rear row l6 thereby successively raising the rods 40 and 38 to a sufficient height to allow the detents 50 to snap into the notches 52 on the rods 38 and hold the same stationary with the letters of the rear row l6 carried thereby in the exposed positions.

The continued travel of the chain l 9 now brings the other finger 3| into play successively swinging the controlling levers of the front row I5 upwards (see Figure '7) thereby raising the rods 41, and 44 successively to permit the detents 54 to engage the notches 55 on the rods 44 and hold the same stationary with the letters of the front row l5 carried thereby in the exposed positions.

All the letters are now exposed but the continuous travel of the chain l9 carries the finger 3| beneath the free end of the releasing rod 68 thereby bringing the same into the position shown in Figures 9 and and this movement through the rod 65 pulls down the arm 64 thereby swinging the bars 92, 6| upwardly on their pivots and the movement imparted to these members gives a twist to the rails 53, 5| turning these two members on their pivots 53 60, 5F, 60, from the positions shown in Figures 2, 4 and '7 into the positions shown in Figures 9 and 10, thereby freeing the detents 54 and 56 from the notches 55, 52 so that the letter rods 44 and 38 are released and drop simultaneously withdrawing all the letters carried thereby from view.

The series of operations described involving the successive appearance of letters, pre-selected to form any desired advertisement, slogan or catch phrase, followed by their simultaneous disappearance continues without interruption so long as the motor is in operation.

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiment thereof described and illustrated as many modifications may be made therein without departing from the principle of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. Advertising apparatus comprising a casing, a series of letters normally concealed within said casing, a travelling endless chain and means carried by said chain forsuccessively exposing said letters to view outside said casing and for effecting their simultaneous disappearance.

2. Advertising apparatus comprising a casing, a series of letters constituting a rear row and a second series constituting a front row, both of said rows being normally concealed within said casing and mechanically operated means for successively exposing to View outside said casing first the letters of the rear row and then the letters of the front row and for effecting the simultaneous disappearance of both rows of letters.

3. Advertising apparatus comprising a casing, a series of letters constituting a rear row and a second series constituting a front row, both of said rows being normally concealed within said casing, a travelling endless chain, means carried by said chain for first successively exposing to view outside said casing the letters of the rear row and a second means carried by said chain for next successively exposing toview outside said casing the letters of the front row and for effecting the simultaneous disappearance of both rows of letters.

4. Advertising apparatus comprising a casing,

a series of letters constituting a rear row anda .75

second series constituting a front row, both of said rows being normally concealed within said casing, a travelling endless chain, a finger carried by said chain for first successively exposing to view outside said casing the letters of the rear row and a second finger carried by said chain for next successively exposing to view outside said casing the letters of the front row and for efiecting the simultaneous disappearance of both rows of letters.

Advertising apparatus comprising a casing, a series of letters constituting a rear row and a second series constituting a front row, both of said rows of letters being normally concealed within said casing and mounted for vertical movement on letter carrying rods, a series of levers controlling the movement of the letter carrying rods of the rear row of letters and a second series of levers controlling the movement of the letter carrying rods of the front row of letters, a travelling endless chain, a finger carried by said chain for successively operating the controlling levers of the letter carrying rods of the rear row of letters to raise said rods for exposure of the letters of the rear row, a second finger carried by said chain for successively operating the controlling levers of the letter carrying rods of the front row of letters to raise said rods for exposure of the letters of the front row, means for retaining all said letter carrying rods in their raised positions a series of letters constituting a rear row and a second series constituting a front row, both of said rows of letters being normally concealed with said casing and mounted for vertical movement on letter carrying rods, a series of levers controlling the movement of the letter carrying rods of the rear row of letters and a second series of levers controlling the movement of the letter carrying rods of the front row of letters, a travelling endless chain, a finger carried by said chain for successively operating the controlling levers of the letter carrying rods of the rear row of letters to raise said rods for exposure of the letters of the rear row, a second finger carried by said chain for next successively operating the controlling levers of the letter carrying rods of the front row of letters to raise said rods for exposure of the letters of the front row, a series of detents carried by rotatable rails for retaining all said letter carrying rods in their raised positions, a releasing lever disposed in the path of said second mentioned finger and operative connections between said releasing lever and said rotatable rails.

LOUIS PERCY LINDEN. 

